GREEN: Without Gonzalez, defense a central issue for Galaxy

For all the attention lavished on David Beckham's still-exquisite dead-ball skills, Robbie Keane's live-wire terrorizing of opposing defenders or Landon Donovan's imaginative midfield string-pulling, it's no secret the Galaxy's MLS Cup triumph was built on rock-solid defense.

Just five defeats and an incredible 16 shutouts in 34 games last season, as well as boasting not just one but two goalkeepers with the lowest goals-against average in MLS last year, says a great deal about the foundation of the club's championship season.

So when the Galaxy opened preseason training camp in torrential rain Monday, most questions did not involve Beckham's two-year contract extension announced last week.

Nor did many dwell on Keane's two-goal outburst for Aston Villa last weekend in the English Premier League. Or Landon Donovan's latest assured performance for England's Everton that has seen him slot back into the club's midfield for a second loan spell with such ease it seems as if he has been there for years rather than weeks.

No, the media - not to mention a few players, it should be pointed out - were wondering what the Galaxy would do without injured center back Omar Gonzalez. He will be fortunate to get back on a soccer field this calendar year after suffering a serious knee injury while training with a German club earlier this month.

His career was just gaining momentum at age 23. Most observers assumed it was just a matter of time before he became a national team regular (he remains eligible to play for Mexico, too, despite having played in a friendly for the U.S.).

"Losing Omar is a big loss obviously, so we'll have to figure out a way to replace him," left back Todd Dunivant said. "Everyone has to step up. Losing a (MLS) Defender of the Year is obviously a big loss, but we can't use that as a crutch and we can't use that as an excuse."

A glance at the possible center backs on the 34-player roster the Galaxy distributed Monday illustrates the paucity of talent at that position currently at coach Bruce Arena's disposal.

The assumption is A.J. DeLaGarza, Gonzalez's partner in central defense for much of last season, has a lock on one of the spots once he returns from national team duty. DeLaGarza, who also played with Gonzalez in the center of defense for national championship-winning Maryland, was rewarded for his fine play last year with a U.S. debut Saturday in the 1-0 win over Venezuela.

A good bet to return is young Brazilian defender Leonardo, who started and played the first seven games of the season last year as a central defender before suffering his own season-ending knee injury.

Arena said he would return - assuming the Galaxy agree to terms for a loan extension with his Brazilian club - but he won't be ready to play until April at the earliest. The 23-year-old showed promise, but he also made some highly visible mistakes that championship teams usually cannot afford to make.

Draft picks Tommy Meyer and Bryan Gaul can play the position, too. But Arena has said their first order of duty is just making the roster of the best club in MLS, let alone worrying about a starting spot. So that leaves former Chivas USA defender Andrew Boyens, left exposed by the struggling club in the recent re-entry draft.

But Boyens, 28, played an unconvincing dozen games for a ghastly defense last year and is seen by most as a backup at best. Not that he necessarily agrees with the assessment.

"As soon as I signed here I saw it as an opportunity," he said. "These guys here have a great center back pairing in Omar and A.J., but at the same time regardless of what happened to Omar I was always hoping to be pushing for starting minutes."

Lastly there is the possibility of an acquisition to fill the void, something Arena previously hinted is likely. He said nothing Monday to suggest anything is different now.

"We've been looking at a number of players," he said. "We'll play it out over the next couple of weeks."

"There are still moves we can make," he added when asked how much salary-cap room the club has. "We have allocation money (too) and we have more than we've had since I've been here."

Allocation money is distributed by the league office to teams to sign players, although it's never clear who gets how much for what reasons.

Arena has a couple of weeks to make a decision, he said, but not much more. The Galaxy's first game of the season is March 7 in a CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal in Toronto.

"(A.J. DeLaGarza) is going to be our main guy," striker Chad Barrett said. "Whoever they bring in (to play next to him) they have to teach him quick."